


Holding Hands While the Walls Come Tumbling Down

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016), Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Agent Erica Reyes, Batman References, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, FBI Agent Stiles Stilinski, First Kiss, First Meetings, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Season/Series 03, Star Wars References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-09 14:56:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19889704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Stiles gets word of some strange disappearances happening in the town on Hawkins, Indiana. Worried the town might have a Nemeton they don't know about, he sets off to investigate. What he's not expecting is to find himself drawn to the town and more specifically one of its locals, Steve Harrington.





	Holding Hands While the Walls Come Tumbling Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LovelyLittleGrim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovelyLittleGrim/gifts).



> This is for Amanda, who delivered when I asked for a prompt for these two. I don't know about her, but I certainly wasn't expecting it to spiral this much. But I had fun with it. Hopefully you like it <3
> 
> This takes place after season 3 of Stranger Things. There are minor references to it so if you don't want anything spoiled it might be best to avoid this.
> 
> This has not been beta read so any mistakes are my own. If you see any typos, feel free to let me know and I'll get them fixed.
> 
> Title comes from [Everybody Wants to Rule the World](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4zA0xnBEJU) by Tears for Fears

Small towns. Stiles hates small towns. Yes, he knows he’s from one. But that’s all the more reason for him to hate them. Nothing good ever happens in a small town.

Not that cities are any better with all the murder and gangs and drugs. But at least he knows what to expect with that. Small towns though, you could get anything. From some crackhead thinking they’re a zombie to full-fledged werewolves and witches and vampires.

The world is fucked. 

He knows as much before he even decides to get in his car and drive across the country to Hawkins, Indiana. He’s heard about a series of weird disappearances happening in the town over the past few years. And while there hasn’t been anything noted in the last few months it’s not enough to ease the gnawing in his gut. He knows there’s something weird going on. He just can’t let it go.

So he tells his boss he’s going to look into the disappearances and packs his bags. What he doesn’t tell anyone is that he has suspicions that there might be a Nemeton in the town. Why else would weird things seem to flock there? It’s the only logical explanation.

But considering most of the people he works with still don't know about the supernatural, including his boss, he can't exactly go around talking about Nemetons and werewolves. Not unless he wants a one way ticket to a psych ward. 

Which he very much does not. 

It's nearing dinner time when he finally crosses over into Hawkins. It looks like any other small town, but he knows better than anyone that looks can be deceiving on that front. 

He has no doubt there's more to this town than meets the eye. And he's determined to find out exactly what it is. 

After he finds a motel room and gets a shower. Hours in a car have him feeling sore and gross. 

He pulls into the parking lot of the first motel he comes across, relieved to see the vacancy sign lit. 

What's less of a relief is when he steps out of his car and hears a familiar voice call his name. He turns. 

Stiles gapes at the woman in front of him. She’s all long legs and blonde hair and cherry red lips to match the shade of the sucker currently pressed against them. He can’t see her eyes through her dark sunglasses but he knows she’s amused by the smirk currently dancing across her lips.

“What are you doing here Erica?” Stiles asks. He closes the door to his car and walks over to her.

“We’re partners,” she tells him. As if he needs the reminder. “Partners don’t let each other go off on their own to random ass small towns to look into disappearances. That’s how people, you know, disappear.”

“I can handle myself,” he reminds her.

“I know,” she says. “But it still doesn’t hurt to have back up, Stiles.”

“How did you even beat me here?” he asks her. “You were still at your desk when I left.”

“Well I didn’t stop to look at the world’s biggest ball of yarn,” she says. “Or any comic book store I spotted along the way.”

“Well you should have,” Stiles tells her. “I got some good ones.”

“How old are you again?”

“Shut up.”

“Now you sound like Derek,” Erica says. “Except less threatening. More pouty.”

Stiles knows she’s just trying to rile him up. He hates that it’s working.

“I got you a room, by the way,” she says, nodding at the motel behind them.

“A separate room?”

“Obviously,” she says. “I’m not sharing with you. You snore.”

“I do not!”

“You do. But you look adorable.” 

She pats his cheek and Stiles pulls away, glaring at her. It’s halfhearted. They both know he’s not really angry. Despite the bickering they love each other. She’s like the sister he never had. He supposes that’s why she likes to annoy him so much.

She hands over the key with a smile, "You're room 108. I'm 109. So if you think about bringing someone back here…"

Stiles rolls his eyes, "I'm not going to have some random hook up in a small town."

"Hey, you never know who you'll meet. There could be cute girls. Or guys." 

She winks at that last part and Stiles sighs, cursing himself for ever thinking it was a good idea to get drunk and confide in her about his bisexuality. 

"Still not the point," Stiles says. 

"What is?"

"That I'm here for work, not pleasure," he tells her. "As you should be too. There's something not right here."

"And you can tell that after being here for all of five minutes?" she asks. 

"I knew that before I even stepped foot in this town. People have just vanished here, Erica. That's not normal. And I think…"

"There's a Nemeton here and the disappearances are related to that," Erica finishes. "I know."

"How could you possibly know that? I never said anything!"

"I know _you_. And besides, I saw the drawings on your desk. You don't just draw a bunch of Nemetons for fun."

"I could," he mumbles. 

Erica rolls her eyes. "No, you wouldn't. You draw what you can't stop thinking about. Which is a Nemeton being here. But I don't think there is."

"Then why are you here?"

"To make sure you don't do something stupid and wind up dead," she snaps. 

Stiles smiles, "So you do care."

"You're my best friend, and my partner. Of course I care. You don't have to get all emotional about it."

"If I ever did you'd smack me upside the head and tell me to get over it," Stiles says. "Believe me I've learned my lesson."

"Good," Erica says. "Now go get some food. I'm going to shower."

She leaves without another word. Stiles watches her go, and then stands there, tossing his keys in his hand. He gets in his car, looking up and down the two lane highway. He has no doubt there's someplace to get food in town. But he'd passed a long stretch of woods on his way in. 

It's mostly dark now. It would be a good time to check it out. 

But he knows Erica would kill him. So he turns into town and goes to grab them some burgers. He eats with Erica and watches some TV until she starts to drift off. 

His eyes drift towards the highway again as he leaves her room to go back to his own. He can't shake the feeling that he needs to go out there. He won't be able to sleep unless he checks things out for himself. 

Without overthinking it he jumps into his car and starts it, hoping the noise won't be enough to wake Erica. He doesn't stick around to see. He pulls out of the parking out and turns right, heading towards the woods. 

* * *

Stiles holds his bat in one hand, ready for anything that might come for him. He hasn’t seen anything weird since coming to town. But he knows from experience the creeps usually come out at night. So he needs to be ready.

His gun and handcuffs are hooked to his belt in case he needs them. But he’s learned from experience not to have the gun out in moments like this. The last thing he needs is to get spooked and shoot someone. 

Isaac has never let him forget the one time he accidentally shot him in the leg.

As dangerous as a bat can be, the chances of him accidentally killing someone with one are slim. He hopes. 

He's not sure how long he wanders through the dark woods. The moon is high in the sky, not quite full but close. So far it's been pretty silent except the usual sounds of wildlife. Owls hooting in the trees. Crickets chirping. Nothing suspicious. 

Then he hears it. A branch snapping, followed by a muffled curse. Stiles stills, ducking back behind a tree.

He tries to stay quiet, though he knows if this were a werewolf he'd be found easily. Something that Erica, Derek, and Scott have told him constantly. It's not his fault. He's gotten good at sneaking around. It's just his damn heart that's the problem. 

He hears movement on the other side of the tree and tries to stay calm. He's going to have to go out there, he knows he is. If this thing is dangerous and wants to kill him he's not going to make it easy for it by staying in place. 

He takes a deep breath and rounds the tree, bat raised, and screams when someone comes running at him screaming, waving their own bat. The bats clash in the air and Stiles stumbles back. 

“What the fuck?”

He looks at the man across from him, taking in the perfectly styled hair and handsome face. He certainly doesn’t look like a killer.

_Not all killers look like killers_ , he reminds himself.

“Who are you and what are you doing out here?” the man asks him. His bat is still raised in front of him, and Stiles finally notices it’s not a normal bat. 

He squints over at it and tilts his head, “Are those nails?”

“Yeah,” the man says. “Pretty cool, huh? But that’s not the point. The point is…” he stops, frowning. “I don’t really know. I don’t usually run into strangers out here.”

“I’m Stiles.” Stiles’ hand goes to his jacket pocket, and he stills as the other man tenses. “I’m just pulling out my wallet, alright? If it’s anything else feel free to whack me with that really awesome bat.”

The man nods and Stiles pulls out his badge, opening it up so that the other man can see it. “I’m with the FBI. I’m looking into some disappearances that have happened around here lately.”

The man's eyes move from the badge back to Stiles’ face. He can see curiosity mixed with a little fear and then it’s gone, replaced with a look of disinterest. “Aren’t you a little young to be an FBI agent?”

“I’m twenty-one,” Stiles says. “I’m plenty old enough. And I was the best in my class. I see things others tend to miss.”

The man smiles, “Yeah I don’t doubt that. But I think you’re wasting your time here. Nothing’s been going on.”

Stiles frowns, “I think we both know that’s not true…” he stops, realizing he still doesn’t know the man’s name. “I’m sorry. What’s your name?”

“Steve,” he says. “Steve Harrington.”

“Well Steve Harrington, if nothing is going on here then why are you wandering around alone in the woods carrying a bat with nails on it?”

“Umm…” Steve sighs and lowers his bat. “I’m making sure nothing is going on. Our chief of police is out of commission for a while and I can’t say I really trust the other assholes at the station to keep an eye on things. Not that there’s anything to keep an eye on. But just in case.”

“Right,” Stiles says slowly. “Just in case.”

Steve slings the bat over his shoulder and smiles, “Why don’t I show you the way back?”

Stiles doesn’t point out he can remember the way back. He knows this is just Steve trying to get him out of the woods and off the case. It’s not going to work, but he falls into step beside him all the same. 

“So what do you do?” Stiles asks him.

“I work at Family Video,” Steve tells him. “I did work at Scoops Ahoy in the mall, but then the mall got destroyed.”

“I heard,” Stiles says. “And that’s not supposed to be suspicious.”

Steve sighs, “There are some things people are better off not knowing about.”

Stiles can’t argue with that, but he’s not one of those people that likes to be in the dark about things. Especially things that are dangerous enough to level a mall. 

“I’ve seen my fair share of weird and dangerous,” Stiles tells him. “Things you probably wouldn’t believe.”

Steve snorts, “I doubt anything could surprise me anymore.”

Stiles doubts that. But he's not about to delve into the existence of werewolves and other supernatural creatures with this man who is essentially a stranger. No matter how handsome and nice he is. 

"There are stranger things out there than you know," Stiles says instead. 

"Did you ever think that there's more out there than _you_ know?" Steve counters. 

"I have no doubt," Stiles says. "And it's not even that I want to know about everything. I need to if I want to keep the people I care about safe."

"I get that," Steve says. He stops suddenly, and it's only then that Stiles realizes they've reached the lot where he parked his car.

"Do you need a ride back into town?" Stiles asks him. 

Steve hesitates, and Stiles knows he's weighing his options between walking all the way back to town and getting into a car with a stranger. 

"I promise I'm not dangerous," Stiles says. He grimaces. "And I realize that's probably something someone dangerous would say."

Steve looks at him long and hard, before his lips pull up into a wry smile. "I think you're more dangerous than you realize."

He still gets into the car, leaving a confused Stiles to follow him. "What does that mean?"

"Not important," Steve says. "Just get me back safely or my kids will hunt you down."

"Your kids?"

"Yeah. I have six."

Stiles gapes at him, "Aren't you a little young to have six kids?"

"You'd think that. Especially since they're teenagers themselves."

Stiles frowns, trying to work out the math in his head. "How old did you say you were?"

"I'm 19," Steve says. When Stiles' frown deepens he laughs. "Relax. They're not really my kids. I'm more of the older brother babysitter sometimes mom."

Stiles nods, "I get that. Sometimes I feel like I have kids and they're my age or older. And more like a bunch of puppies."

"Because they're energetic and lovable?"

"Sure," Stiles says, starting the car. "So where to?"

He tries to ignore the relief he feels at Steve not having actual kids. Not that there would be anything wrong if he did. He doesn't let himself think too much on why that would be an issue. 

Even as he feels his stomach flutter when Steve smiles at him when Stiles drops him off at his car, telling him he hopes he'll be seeing him again soon. 

He tells himself it's just indigestion.

* * *

Stiles wakes up to a loud banging. He tries to ignore it and pulls the blanket further up over his head. The banging stops and Stiles relaxes back into the mattress. But only for a moment. The peace is gone as quick as it comes.

He finds the covers ripped away from him, exposing him to the morning chill of the motel room. He glares up at Erica. “What do you want?"

"I thought you wanted to stake out the town," she says. "Or did you find what you were looking for last night?" He groans when she sniffs the air and then smirks. "Or should I say who?"

"There isn't a who," Stiles mumbles.

"Sure there isn't," Erica says. "Then why do I smell someone else on you and the car. A scent that wasn't there when you left me last night."

"Stupid werewolves," he mutters, sitting up in the bed. He runs a hand through his hair and looks around the room. "I ran into someone when I was out in the woods last night."

"Seriously? You went out there alone?"

"I couldn't let it go," he says. "You know how I get. So I went to check things out and then I met Steve."

"Ooh Steve. What does he look like? Is he cute?"

"That's what's important? He could have been a murderer."

"I doubt it if you let him in your car," Erica says. 

She has him there.

"Fine, he wasn't a murderer, but his looks are hardly important."

"So he was cute then," Erica teases. 

Stiles doesn't comment. There's no point. Anything he says will lead to more teasing and right now he's trying really hard not to think about Steve with the nice hair and cute smile and…

"Ugh!"

He grabs a change of clothes. Erica's laughter follows him as he storms his way into the bathroom and slams the door. 

He showers, taking his time, knowing that it will annoy Erica. Serves her right for meddling. 

When he’s done he towels off and gets into his clean clothes. A simple pair of jeans and black button down. Not exactly the suit he usually wears to work, but he wants to blend in at least a little bit. 

Erica though, is doing the opposite of that. She’s wearing a short skirt and a tank top under a leather jacket, paired with a pair of high top converse and her signature red lips. 

“At least your shoes are appropriate for running after monsters,” Stiles says.

Erica rolls her eyes, “Please. As if I don’t know exactly what I’m doing.”

Stiles knows she does. “Where to first?”

“I figured we could just go around town, talk to some locals, see what they know,” Erica says.

“We’re going to ask them outright if something was snatching people?”

“Of course not,” Erica says. “We’re going to ask them if they’ve seen anything suspicious. Most people that have want to talk about it. You know that.”

Her logic was good in theory, but the reality is that people of Hawkins, Indiana either are completely oblivious or know how to keep their secrets. Especially from strangers. It’s all a series of:

_“Excuse me, Ma’am?”_

_“Sir?”_

_“Could I just ask you a few questions?”_

_“No this isn’t about your missing dog.”_

_“You think there’s a giant bear in the woods?”_

_“No, I don’t know when the mall is going to open again.”_

Stiles meets up with Erica after an hour of walking around. “No luck?” she asks.

“Nothing,” he sighs, leaning back against his car. “What about you?”

“I found out that old lady Milton likes to sneak vodka into her coffee,” Erica says. “And Family Video has two new attractive employees. Which I am actually curious about.”

“That has nothing to do with the case, Erica.”

“Maybe there isn’t a case,” she says. “Maybe people just got tired of being here and moved away.”

“Forty people have disappeared here within the last four months. Making it a total of sixty in the last two years. That’s not just people up and deciding to move away,” he tells her.

“I don’t know what else it could be,” Erica says, looking around the street. “Usually I can pick up on things, and I’m not sensing anything here. Maybe whatever it was has left.”

“Not exactly reassuring if it moved onto another town,” Stiles says.

“Maybe someone killed it and it’s just one big town secret,” Erica suggests.

“Maybe.”

“Whatever it is, I’m hungry. Let’s just rent a movie and go back to the hotel and eat.”

“We’ve only been out here an hour,” he reminds her.

“An hour with absolutely no clues,” Erica says. “You can keep looking but I’m going.”

“What happened to sticking together?” 

“That was back when I thought there was more danger here than the risk of getting a sprained ankle crossing the street,” Erica says. She’s walking backwards towards the video store, giving Stiles no choice but to follow her.

The bell chimes when they enter. Stiles looks around. It looks like any other video store he’s seen. Nothing special. 

“Hello, welcome to Family Video.”

Stiles’ head snaps around at the familiar voice. “Steve?”

Steve’s eyes widen in recognition, “Stiles. Hey.”

Stiles doesn’t know why he’s surprised to see him. Steve did say he worked here. It just slipped Stiles’ mind in his quest to get answers. 

Erica looks between them, “You two know each other?”

Stiles knows if he tells her how they met she’s going to figure out who he is, and then any chance of escaping here without embarrassment is out the window. Though how she didn't put the Steve he mentioned earlier together with this one Stiles doesn't know. 

“Yeah we met last night,” Steve says. “At the…”

“When I was picking up dinner,” Stiles says. Steve frowns. “You know, when you sent me for food.”

“I remember,” Erica says. “I just didn’t think you were gone long enough to meet someone and get on a first name basis with them.”

Her eyes are narrowed as she studies his face, before a grin that can only be described as wicked crosses her features. Before she can say anything, another voice speaks from nearby. “It’s probably just Steve. He’s a friendly guy.”

Erica turns, and Stiles watches as her face changes, losing some of the casual annoyance she often holds. “Is that right?” Erica asks, leaning against the counter, bringing herself closer to the woman who’s come to stand next to Steve. “And what about you? Are you friendly?”

“I try to be,” the woman says. “Sometimes it’s hard because people are idiots.”

Erica laughs, “Tell me about it.”

She looks over at Stiles, who rolls his eyes. “You’re funny, Erica.”

“This is Robin,” Steve says, gesturing over to the woman.

“I can introduce myself,” Robin says. “But thank you.” Her gaze is still focused on Erica. “Can I help you find anything?”

“I think you might just be able to,” Erica says.

Stiles watches as she walks off towards the rows of movies with Robin, and shakes his head. She really is shameless. 

“So I take it that’s not your girlfriend,” Steve says, bringing Stiles’ focus back to him. “Or I mean, she could be if you’re into the whole dating multiple people thing. Which is cool.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Stiles says. “She’s my partner. For work. We work together.”

“Ahh yes,” Steve says. “For the FBI. So then why did you lie to her about how we met?”

“Because I knew she’d give me hell for sneaking out alone to look into things,” Stiles says. It’s not necessarily a lie.

“I see. I suppose it is good to stick to a buddy system.”

“Then why were you alone?”

“I wasn’t at first,” Steve says. “I was patrolling with the kids, and then they needed to get home. So I was finishing by myself when I ran into you.”

Stiles turns at the sound of a giggle to see Robin leaning against one of the shelves, with Erica in front of her. She’s leaning close and has a piece of Robin’s hair between her fingers.

“Absolutely shameless,” Stiles mutters.

"Tell me about it," Steve says. "I've never seen Robin flirt like that."

"Erica has that effect on people," Stiles says. 

"Apparently," Steve leans in closer, lowering his voice. "So is there anything you want to rent? I need to make at least one rental today or my boss might change his mind and fire me."

"Well we can't have that," Stiles says. He looks at the rows of movies behind him. "Let's see what my options are."

He's aware of Steve's eyes on him as he browses the shelves. Truthfully, it's been a while since he's just been able to watch a movie. The last one he remembers really enjoying is…

He grins when he sees it sitting on the shelf and doesn't hesitate in picking it up. Perfect. 

Steve looks down at the movie when Stiles places it on the counter. 

"Star Wars?"

"Yeah dude, these movies are the best."

Steve nods and picks up the movie, scanning it. "Yeah. Sure. They're great."

Stiles narrows his eyes as he hands over the money. "You haven't seen a single Star Wars movie, have you?"

"No," Steve sighs. "Movies weren't exactly my top priority when I was in school."

"You need to watch them," Stiles tells him. "They will change your life."

"They're that good?"

"Better," Stiles says. "I can totally see you as a Han Solo guy."

"Oh God, he totally is," Robin says. "And Dustin is his Chewie."

"Excuse me?" Steve says, looking between Stiles and Robin. "What the hell is a Chewie?"

"Chewbacca," Robin says. "He's a Wookie."

"That does not answer any of my questions. In fact, it just left me with more."

"Watch the movies and you'll know," Stiles tells him. 

"Why don't you watch them with me?" Steve asks. "You are renting the first one, after all. Though maybe not tonight. I promised I'd patrol again tonight."

"Please, the world saving can wait," Robin says. "Star Wars cannot. And if you're really worried I'll do a patrol tonight."

"Alone?"

"I'll go," Erica says. "Catwoman can stand in for Batman tonight and go out with Robin."

"I thought I was Batman," Stiles pouts.

Erica pats his cheek, "Of course you are, Stiles."

“So Star Wars tonight then?” Steve asks.

Stiles opens his mouth to respond but someone else is speaking before he has a chance, “Dude, you’re watching Star Wars? Count me in.”

Stiles turns to see a curly haired kid that can’t be older than fifteen standing next to him. There are five other kids behind him, most looking at Steve expectantly. 

Stiles turns back to Steve, who is looking torn. He smiles, “No one should have to miss out on Star Wars.”

Steve gives him a grateful smile, “It is only fair I guess since Dustin here has been bitching at me to watch them for months.”

“It’s true,” the curly haired kid says. “I’m Dustin, by the way. In case you hadn’t figured it out. And this is Mike, Will, Max, Lucas, and El.”

Stiles does his best to follow who he’s pointing to, but he knows it might take him a bit to remember the names. Steve leans closer, “Don’t worry if you didn’t catch them all. I can help you out later.”

Stiles nods, “So where are we doing this?”

“Good question,” Steve says. “I guess we could use my place. My parents are gone for the week. Let me just…” He rummages around behind the counter before pulling out a pen and a sticky note and writing something down. “This is my address. But if you want you could come by after I get off work and we could ride together.”

“Sounds good,” Stiles says, pocketing the sticky note. “What time do you get off?”

“Seven,” Steve says. “But maybe get here a little after just in case.”

“I’d be prepared to sleep over,” Robin tells him. At Stiles’ confusion she adds, “If you’re going to watch all three tonight you probably won’t want to drive back to the motel.”

“Oh yeah. Good point. I’ll uhh… I’ll do that.”

He curses himself for being so awkward. He really doesn’t know what his deal is. It’s just Steve. A normal guy. Who he wants to be friends with. That’s all. No matter what Erica might say. Or how cute he is. They’re friends. 

“I should leave you to work,” Stiles says. “And we still have some work to do too.”

At this, Erica sighs. “Seriously?”

“Yes, seriously. Paperwork won’t do itself.” He throws a smile at Steve. “I’ll see you later.”

He hears Dustin talking to Steve as he starts to the door, “Who was that?”

“Stiles,” Steve says. “He works for the FBI.”

“Really? Why is he here? How do you know him?”

“That’s classified information,” Steve tells him. 

“Meaning if he tells you, then someone will have to come and kill you,” one of the girls says.

That’s the last Stiles hears before he exits the building. Erica appears a few seconds later. “You know they think you’re some big, bad, mysterious secret agent now, right?”

Stiles shrugs, “They’re not wrong.”

“Uh huh. Sure. Whatever you say, Batman.”

“I thought Steve was Batman now?”

Erica slings an arm across his shoulder, “You’ll always be my Batman. Now come on, I want food.”

* * *

The sun is just starting to set when Stiles pulls up outside Family Video. It's seven, but Stiles can still see Steve behind the counter. He gets out of the car and moves to sit on the hood. His eyes are focused on the slowly disappearing sun. 

He's never really taken the time to appreciate sunsets. Looking at this one he thinks maybe he should change his mind on that. Or maybe the sun just sets differently in Indiana. Stiles wouldn't be surprised. 

"Thanks, Robin! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Stiles turns his head at the sound of Steve's voice. Their eyes meet and Stiles smiles. It grows when Steve stumbles.

"Yeah yeah. As if you have perfect balance," Steve says. 

"I don't," Stiles says. "But I've come to embrace my clumsiness. Plus, it's hard to keep your legs when someone cute catches your eye."

He winks and gets off the car, walking back to the driver's side. He opens the door and looks over at Steve, "Come on, Harrington. Star Wars awaits."

Steve gets into the car and buckles his seatbelt as Stiles starts the car. He backs out of the parking spot and turns to Steve. "Do we have to pick up your kids?"

Steve shakes his head, "Nah. They're riding their bikes over."

Stiles nods, "I'm yours to direct."

It's not a long drive, Stiles discovers. Steve's house is only a few blocks from the video store. When they pull up Stiles sees bikes scattered across the yard, and the lights are inside the house. 

"I gave Dustin a key," Steve says. "Sometimes it's just nice to know you have someplace else to go if you need to."

"I get that," Stiles says, turning the car off and pocketing his keys. "After my mom died I spent a lot of time at my best friend Scott's house. Sometimes it was just easier."

"When did she die?"

"About ten years ago," Stiles says. He has a flash of his mom lying still in her hospital bed and swallows thickly. "It's gotten easier but I still miss her."

Steve rests a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. He doesn't offer up some generic apology, and for that Stiles is grateful. He's had more than enough of that. 

Stiles clears his throat, "Well that was a mood killer. What I meant was, it's nice what you're doing for the kids. Not everyone would do that."

"I'd say they make it easy, but truthfully they can be major pains in the ass sometimes." He's smiling despite his words. "But I guess that's part of what I like about them."

He opens the door and walks in, Stiles following behind him. It looks like most family homes he's seen. There are pictures on the walls and various flowers and decorations. 

Steve leads him into the living room where the kids are sitting. The only open spot is a big arm chair. Steve hands the movies to Dustin before taking a seat. 

"One of you get up so Stiles can have a seat," Steve says, looking over at the group on the couch. 

"It's okay," Stiles says. "I can sit on the floor."

"Not for this long you can't," Steve argues.

"We do have blankets and pillows," Dustin tells him. 

"See? Everyone's going to be perfectly comfortable," Stiles tells him. 

He goes to sit down but finds himself yanked down onto the armchair with Steve. He looks at him in confusion, but Steve just grins. 

"Now you'll be comfortable," Steve says.

Stiles tries to calm his racing heart as he shifts, settling more comfortably into the chair. Or really Steve's lap, since his legs are currently slung across his thighs, while his top half is pressed against his side. 

Steve's arm is resting across his shoulders. He doesn't seem the least bit phased about their position. Stiles looks over and catches the eye of someone he hasn't been introduced to. She tilts her head, a half smile on her lips. There's another man behind her that Stiles doesn't know. He leans down and whispers something into the young woman's ear that has her nodding. 

Stiles looks away. 

"That's Nancy, Mike's sister," Steve whispers, his lips close enough to brush across his ear as he speaks. Stiles fights back a shiver. "The guy with her is Jonathan, Will's brother."

"Why is she looking at me like I have a secret and she knows what it is?" Stiles whispers back.

Steve laughs quietly, "She probably does. She wants to be a journalist."

"Ah. Well that makes sense." His attention shifts when he hears the opening of Star Wars and he excitedly elbows Steve. "It's starting."

They make it through the first movie without incident. Stiles chances glances at him from time to time to see his eyes glued to the screen. 

When it's over Steve sighs and leans his head back against the chair. Stiles' eyes drift to his throat and he feels his own go try. He barely stops himself from reaching out and touching it.

His eyes move up to find Steve's on him, his eyebrows raised. It's only then he realizes Steve said something. 

"Sorry?"

"I said, do you want to watch the next one?"

"Well yeah, of course. You can't just stop with the first one."

"Told you!" Dustin says. "Now just let me change the tape."

"Rewind the first one before you do," Steve tells him. 

Dustin sighs, "Fine. Then I'm going to make more popcorn."

“Responsible of you,” Stiles comments.

“I work in a video store. Do you know how many complaints we get from people about the tapes not being rewound, only for those people to turn around a do the same thing?”

“How horrible do them,” Stiles says. “They should be fined. Or arrested.”

Steve grins, “Want to come in and flash your badge and say you’re looking into people misusing property?”

“I’m pretty sure that would be considered a misuse of power,” Stiles tells him, his tone teasing. 

“So you wouldn’t even do it for me and my sanity?” 

“You think you’re special?” Stiles asks. He tries to keep the teasing tone, but his voice comes out sounding breathless.

“Yeah I do,” Steve says, his own voice lowering. 

His eyes are boring into Stiles’ as alarm bells go off in Stiles’ head, trying to remind him this isn’t what he’s here for. He’s on a case. Not here to get close to anyone. But it’s hard to care when Steve is looking at him like that. Like he’s the only one in the room.

“Maybe you are,” Stiles finds himself whispering back. Steve smiles.

“You’re pretty special too.”

Stiles jumps when a loud beeping fills the room. It takes him a moment to realize it’s his pager. He knows without looking it’s Erica. She’s the only one that ever pages him. 

He sighs and gets to his feet. “Can I use your phone?” 

Steve nods, “Sure. It’s in the kitchen.”

He walks around the bodies scattered on the floor to the kitchen, locating the phone on the wall. He dials the number to their motel.

“Stiles,” Erica says, before he even has a chance to greet her.

“Did something happen?” he asks her.

“Not exactly,” Erica says. “I umm… I couldn’t get out to patrol. I got kind of distracted. And now I can’t leave the motel room.”

He hears giggling in the background, followed by Robin’s voice. 

“So no one is patrolling?”

“No, but I don’t think they need to,” she says. “I told you I don’t think there’s anything here.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” he tells her.

“Do you want me to go?” she asks, though he can tell she really doesn’t want to leave.

He sighs, his eyes moving back to the living room where everyone is still relaxing. “No. I’ll go.”

“I could come,” she offers.

“I think you’ve done that enough tonight.” There’s silence on the other end of the phone as his brain catches up to what his mouth just said. “I mean…”

She huffs out a laugh, “I know what you meant. I just didn’t expect it from you. I’m impressed.”

“Yeah well, go back to whatever you were doing. I’ll handle things from here.”

“Thanks Stiles.”

Stiles hangs up and rests his head against the wall. As much as he’s been enjoying his time here he knows he needs to do what he came here for. Work. He’s been distracted enough.

“Is everything alright?”

Stiles lifts his head to see Steve standing in the doorway. “Yeah, fine. You guys get back to the movies. I’m going to have to go.”

“Already?” Steve says. Stiles hates the disappointment in his voice. “We’ve only watched the first one.”

“Yeah I know,” Stiles says. “Believe me, I hate bailing out on Star Wars. It’s the greatest movie series of all time. But Erica bailed on patrol and…”

“What? Is everything okay? Is Robin?”

“Yeah they’re fine. More than fine. They’re umm…” 

Stiles trails off, unsure how to finish. Steve must get what he means because he laughs. “Oh. So they’re that kind of distracted then. I can’t say I’m surprised from the way they were acting at the store.”

“I don’t think they ever made it out of the motel room,” Stiles says. “So that means…”

“It’s on us to patrol,” Steve finishes.

“Us?”

“Yeah man. The buddy system, remember?”

Stiles’ lips lift up into an amused smile. “How could I forget?”

Turns out using the buddy system means enlisting everyone to go on patrol. And Stiles means everyone. As soon as the others catch word of what Stiles and Steve are doing Star Wars is forgotten and everyone is clambering out of the seats and towards the door.

What’s worse, is Stiles and Steve get regulated to stay by the car while the others go into the woods. It doesn’t seem responsible. Something Stiles points out multiple times, much to Steve’s apparent amusement.

“They can handle themselves,” Steve tells him. “Trust me.”

Stiles doesn’t point out that they’ve barely known each other for two full days, so trust should be limited. Mostly because for some strange reason he _does_ trust Steve. But sending kids out on their own while there are two fully capable adults here seems beyond irresponsible. Which is laughable, he knows that. He was off running with werewolves at sixteen. He knows teenagers are capable of handling themselves. 

But people have disappeared from this town. And he’s a damn FBI Agent. It’s his job to investigate this shit. Not stand by the car while others do it for him.

“It’s irresponsible,” he mutters again, more to himself than to Steve. He knows Steve hears him from the way he huffs out a quiet laugh. “It’s not funny!”

“It kind of is,” Steve says. “You’re acting like a scared parent. And these aren’t even your kids.”

Stiles runs a hand down his face, “Being an adult is weird.”

“You’re telling me.” There’s a beat of silence before Steve speaks again. “So maybe when this is all over we can…”

Stiles turns at the sound of yelling coming towards them. A moment later Dustin comes bursting into the parking lot, Mike, El, and Will on his heels. A few seconds later Max, Lucas, Nancy, and Jonathan come out after them. They glance back at the woods.

Dustin paces back and forth in front of them. “Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!”

“What is it?” Steve asks him. “What happened?”

“There’s a fucking beast in the woods, that’s what happened! We have to go!”

Steve frowns, “A beast? What kind of beast?”

“Does it matter?” Dustin asks him.

Steve shares a look with Stiles, who shrugs. “As much as I want to know what we’re facing, I can’t in good conscious stand here and put a bunch of kids lives at risk.”

“We’re not kids,” Mike says.

“You’re still civilians!” Stiles says, throwing up his hands. “We should go meet Erica and Robin back at the motel.”

“You want to lure this thing back to a public place?” Steve asks him, incredulous.

“Do you have a better plan?”

“There is someplace we can go,” Mike says. 

He looks over at El, who nods. “The cabin.”

“Cabin?” Stiles asks.

“Yeah Hopper’s cabin,” Steve says. “It’s not in any state to be lived in. But it’s a safe distance from town. It should work.”

Stiles nods and moves towards the car. “Someone will need to ride with Erica to show her where it is.”

“You want to bring her?” Steve asks. “Into the danger.”

Stiles smiles, “Believe me, we’ll probably need her.”

“Unless you don’t think girls are capable of handling themselves,” Max says.

Nancy raises an eyebrow, “Is that what you think?”

Steve holds up his hands, “Hey, now that’s not what I said. You’re all more than capable of handling yourselves. Better than me.”

“Anyone is better at fighting than you,” Max points out.

Steve points a finger at her, his mouth opening as if to retort. Instead he shakes his head and turns away. “Let’s just go get Erica.”

“As long as it’s not my sister, I’m good,” Lucas says. 

He piles into Jonathan’s car with Max, Will, and Nancy. 

“We’ll meet you at the motel,” Steve calls over to them.

Nancy nods and then they’re gone.

“Alright, the rest of you, get into the back and don’t give Stiles any shit. Do you understand?”

Dustin nods, “Yes, sir.”

Stiles laughs and gets into the driver’s seat. He waits for everyone else to be in and buckled before pulling out onto the road. It’s a short drive to the motel. Most of it is spent in silence, at least on the part of him and Steve. Mike, El, and Dustin whisper to each other in the backseat. 

Erica is standing outside the motel when they pull up, Robin next to her. She walks to Stiles’ window when he rolls it down. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently there was a monster in the woods,” Stiles tells her. 

“Not apparently. There was,” Dustin says, leaning over the seat to look at Erica. “It was a beast.”

“Either way,” Stiles says. “We’re leading it out of town. And I could use you.”

“Oh _now_ you need me,” Erica says.

Stiles throws up his hands, “You’re the one that didn’t want to listen to me. And besides,” he glances at where Robin is standing behind Erica, “you’ve been distracted.”

“As if you haven’t,” Erica counters.

“I haven’t!” Erica opens her mouth, most likely ready to point out all the ways he’s been distracted. Stiles rushes to cut her off. “But that’s not the point. The point is, we need to lure this thing away. Are you in or not?”

“Of course I’m in,” Erica says. “When have I ever ran away from danger?”

Stiles smiles, “Never.”

“Exactly. So where are we going?”

“We have a cabin in the woods,” Steve tells her. “Someone can ride with you and show you.”

“Well that’s specific,” Erica snarks.

“I don’t know!” He looks into the backseat. “Who is best with directions?”

“I’ll do it,” Nancy says, stepping up next to Erica.

“Perfect!” Erica says, clapping her hands together. “Let’s go.”

Stiles feels anticipation thrumming through him the whole drive to the cabin. He tells himself it’s going to be alright. He’s faced off with a lot of monsters in his short twenty-one years on this earth. This isn’t going to be any different. He’s going to get through this and make sure everyone else does as well. 

The one thing nagging at him as they do their best to secure the cabin is that they don’t know what they’re facing. Is it his kind of monster? Or the kind that’s been taking people from the town over the past few months?

Luckily there’s a few people in the room who have seen what this thing looks like and can hopefully give him some answers.

“What exactly did this beast look like?” Stiles asks.

“It was hairy,” Dustin says. “With fangs and glowing red eyes. It definitely was not a Demogorgon.”

“A what?”

“A Demogorgon,” Dustin says. “It’s a creature from the Upside Down. I used to have one as a pet until it got out of control and ate my mom’s cat. And one also terrorized the town and killed people before El took care of it. But whatever this thing was it wasn’t that.”

Stiles is going to have questions later about whatever the hell this Demogorgon is, and the Upside Down. But for now he at least feels a sense of relief. He shares a look with Erica, who shrugs. “I know what it is.”

“What?” Steve asks. “How? You haven’t even seen it.”

“I don’t need to,” Stiles says. “I’ve seen enough of them to know just by the description.”

“What the hell is it then?”

“A werewolf,” Stiles says. “An alpha judging by the red eyes. So I doubt he’s alone.”

“Werewolves are real?” Will asks.

“Of course they’re not!” Steve says. “That’s just… it’s not possible.”

“It is,” Stiles says.

“It’s not!”

There’s a growl from behind them that has Stiles turning. Erica is there, her eyes glowing yellow and her face shifted. There’s a series of gasps from the room. Erica smirks, “I assure you, we're very real.”

“Oh my god,” Dustin whispers. “Are you a good werewolf?”

“She is,” Stiles says. “Mostly. There are good and bad werewolves the same as there are good and bad humans.

“What the fuck?” Steve shouts suddenly, drawing Stiles’ attention back to him. 

“I know it’s a lot to process,” Stiles says.

“Her eyes _glowed_ ,” Steve says.

“I know,” Stiles says. “But we need to…”

“I think it’s close,” Erica says. “And he’s not alone. I can hear others.”

“Just stay calm,” Stiles says. “We don’t know they’re bad guys yet.”

“They’re chasing us,” Mike points out.

Stiles can’t argue with that. But he still doesn’t want to jump to conclusions and worry them more than they already are.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Stiles says. He turns towards the door when he hears a loud roar. “Erica and I are used to this sort of thing. It’s part of our job.”

"I thought you worked for the FBI!" Steve yells over at him. 

"I do!" Stiles shouts back. "And I thought you worked for family video!"

"I do!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Why are they yelling at each other?" Dustin asks. 

"Longing and sexual tension," Erica says. 

Stiles growls at her in a pretty good imitation of Derek. "Now is not the time Erica!"

Erica rolls her eyes, "It might as well be. We could all die here."

"No," Steve says, pointing a finger at her. "No one is dying here."

"Are you psychic?" Erica asks him. 

"No," Steve grits out, holding his bat out in front of him. "Just determined."

"You two really are meant for each other," Erica says. "So stupidly brave and human."

"Better brave than dead," Steve says. 

"Unless of course that bravery gets you killed."

"He's right," Robin says, moving to stand next to Steve. "These werewolves are coming whether we like it or not. The only thing we can do is go down fighting."

Erica sighs and pushes herself off the wall, "I guess I can't argue with that."

Stiles gapes at her. "That is what we've been saying all along!"

Erica shrugs, "She's prettier and less annoying."

"Is everyone here gay but us?" Dustin whispers, looking over at his friends. 

They all shrug, except for Will. "I'm gay."

Jonathan smiles and pats his shoulder, "We know, buddy. I'm just glad you felt comfortable enough to tell us."

“Everyone here has really poor timing,” Stiles mutters. “Considering we’re about to possibly fight off some werewolves.”

“I really don’t think there’s going to be a fight though,” Erica says, tilting her head as she looks towards the door.

“Because you think they’re going to come through here and eat us?” Mike asks.

Erica laughs, “No. Because they’re on our side.”

“How could you…?”

The door bursts open suddenly and Stiles tenses, instinctively moving forward to put himself between the danger and the kids. A wolf jumps into the house in full shift and Stiles raises his bat in preparation at the same time Steve does. Then Stiles catches the wolf's eyes.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Stiles mutters, lowering his bat.

“What are you doing?” Steve whispers.

“He’s not going to attack us,” Stiles tells him. “None of them are. Though I might still kick their asses for pulling this stupid stunt.”

“You know them?” 

“They’re our pack,” Stiles says. He nods his head toward the black wolf. “That’s Derek, our alpha. I’m assuming Boyd, Isaac, Scott, Malia, and Lydia are close?”

Erica nods, “Them and Liam and Theo.”

Stiles sighs, “Seriously? Is this some sort of impromptu reunion?”

“We were worried,” Scott says, peeking his head inside. He steps in, with the others following him. The cabin is suddenly very crowded.

“Worried about what?” Stiles asks. “Everything was fine until you all showed up and decided to scare the locals.”

“Yeah sorry about that,” Scott says.

“I’m not,” Isaac chimes in. “It was a little fun. Especially seeing how scared Stiles got when he didn’t know it was us.”

“I wasn’t scared,” Stiles mutters. 

“Sure you weren’t sweetie,” Lydia says.

“You couldn’t expect to go off looking into a bunch of disappearances you thought might be linked to a Nemeton and expect us to not come help,” Derek says, appearing from one of the other rooms in a pair of sweats. “We were worried.”

“How did you even know?”

“Erica told us,” Malia says.

Stiles glares at her, “Traitor.” 

Erica rolls her eyes, “On please. At least I was smart enough to think ahead that we might need back up. Unlike you who just took off on your own.”

“Which was stupid,” Derek says. “You could have been killed.”

“There is nothing dangerous here,” Stiles argues.

“But you didn’t know that! You thought there was and you still charged in here alone without backup! It was reckless and stupid.”

“Just because I’m human doesn’t mean I’m useless,” Stiles hisses, feeling his anger start to rise. “I can handle myself. I’m a fucking FBI agent. And I didn’t get this far just because I’m smart. I was trained. And more than that I’ve been running with all of you and surviving just fine.”

“We know that Stiles,” Lydia says, her tone patient.

“Yeah well maybe next time you should have a little bit more faith in me,” he mutters. 

He stalks past them all and out of the cabin. He walks into the trees, not sure where he’s going, only knowing he needs to get away.

He speeds up when he hears footsteps, almost running in his haste to get away. He only stops when his lungs start to burn, reminding him that despite the argument he just gave, he does have his limits. He sinks to the grounded, leaning back against a nearby tree, and closes his eyes.

He hears someone approaching but doesn’t open his eyes. “Go away.”

He’s expecting Erica or Scott or even Lydia or Derek go speak. So he’s surprised when he hears Steve’s voice respond. “And go back to that awkwardness you left, no thanks.”

"Well I'm sorry it was so awkward for you," Stiles snaps. 

Steve whistles. For a moment there's only the sound of the breeze and then he hears rustling. He cracks an eye open to see Steve sitting nearby, clearly making sure to keep a safe distance. 

"Are you alright?" he asks after a moment of tense silence.

Stiles wants to yell at him. To tell him to mind his own business. But here's this guy that's only known him a few days out here checking in on him when he has to be having a crisis of his own about the whole werewolf reveal. 

Stiles feels the fight leave him. He looks out into the distance, picking at the grass on either side of him. "They've never trusted me. At least not where it counts. Not when it comes to being able to survive.”

"Maybe they just worry," Steve offers. 

"I know they do," Stiles sighs. "But it's not in the way they worry about each other or I worry about them. It's different because they think of me differently because I'm human. They think I'm less capable of surviving on my own. Even as I've worked to prove myself. After I've shown just how much of an asset I can be. They still don't think I'm strong enough to hold myself in a fight."

"I do."

Stiles looks over at him. There's nothing but genuine respect and honesty there. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough," Steve says with a shrug. "Enough to know that I'd be lucky to have someone like you fighting beside me."

Stiles can't help but smile, "Thanks."

"No problem."

"For what it's worth I'd be glad to have you fighting next to me too."

Steve laughs at that. "Thanks but I think in this case your judgment is wrong. I do my best but I still wind up getting my ass kicked."

"But you survive," Stiles reminds him. "And you protect the people you care about. That's a pretty strong asset in my book."

"Thank you." Steve clears his throat and looks away. "So you came here because you thought werewolves were making all the people disappear?"

"Not exactly," Stiles says. He knows Steve is just changing the subject, but he allows it. "I thought there might be a Nemeton here."

"A what?"

"A Nemeton. It's like a supernatural beacon. It draws things to wherever it is."

"Because that's not scary at all," Steve mutters, drawing a laugh from Stiles. 

"That's why I came here," Stiles admits. "A Nemeton in a small town is never good."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Steve says. 

"I am. The town I'm from has one. It caused a hell of a lot of trouble for us a few years back. But it's… well it's pretty dormant now."

"And is there one here?"

Stiles shakes his head, "No. Not that I've seen. Unless there's some large magical tree stump you're hiding."

"I can't say that there is," Steve says. "There was a portal to this place called the Upside Down where this creature came through and possessed people and then like absorbed their bodies to become bigger. But it's gone now and the portal’s shut."

Stiles stares at him, looking for any sign he was joking. There isn't one. "Wow."

"I know," Steve sighs, leaning back against the tree next to Stiles, bringing them closer. "Now you can see why I was wary to admit to knowing anything about the disappearances. Any sane person would have thought I was crazy."

"Well like I said, I've seen some shit."

"Clearly."

"Though mind controlling monsters from another world is a new one," Stiles says.

"Yeah and the Russians were involved."

Stiles gapes, his mouth opening and closing in shock. "The Russians? What the fuck?"

"That's what gets you?"

"We're at war! And I work for the FBI!"

"I know. So I'm trusting you to be discreet."

"Unbelievable," Stiles mutters. 

Steve knocks his shoulder against Stiles' "I'll make it worth your while."

Stiles feels his lips twitch up against his better judgement. "Are you trying to bribe a member of law enforcement?"

"Is it working?"

"Depends what you have in mind," Stiles replies. 

"A date."

For all his attempts to appear casual, Stiles can still see the nerves there. It's his biggest clue that Steve is serious. And Stiles finds he's glad about it. He smiles. "Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Let's go on a date."

He knows Erica is never going to shut up about it but he doesn't care. It's been a long fucking two days. And Steve is cute. And brave. And so Stiles' type that it hurts. 

He's also smiling and leaning closer. Stiles finds himself mirroring the movement. "Do you kiss before the first date, Agent Stiles?"

The words are a whisper against his lips. Stiles shivers. "Only for certain men named Steve."

"Do you know a lot of men named— oomph!"

Stiles kisses him, planning to keep it short. Just wanting to know how it feels. Then Steve's hand moves up to his neck, and pulls him closer. He deepens the kiss and Stiles sinks into it, losing himself in their dance of lips and tongues. 

Maybe a little too much because the world starts to topple. He finds himself sprawled on top of Steve, who grins up at him. 

"Someone's enthusiastic."

"Are you complaining?" Stiles asks him. 

He leans in closer and Steve shakes his head. "Nope. Definitely not complaining."

"Good."

Stiles doesn't know what's coming over him. Whether it's this place, or just the way Steve makes him feel. It's terrifying and exciting all at once, lying in the grass, making out with this cute guy he barely knows, but finds he wants to know so much more about. 

He knows eventually he's going to have to leave this town. He's going to have to go back to work and reality. To make up some story about what happened in this strange little town. But he knows that won't be the end of his time here. Not really. 

It's proof enough when Erica hands him paperwork a few weeks later for both their transfers to a field office outside of Hawkins. He's not the only one that found something there. 

Three months later he's looking around the living room of the new house he's going to be sharing with Erica, Steve, and Robin. It's cluttered with boxes they still need to unpack. One of his least favorite parts of moving. 

"Come sit down," Erica calls from the couch. She's sitting on one end, with Robin next to her, their hands clasped and resting on Robin's lap. 

"You know as well as I do if I sit down I'm not going to want to get up," Stiles says. 

He smiles when Steve hands him a soda, and places a kiss to his cheek. 

"I think we've done enough unpacking today," Steve tells him. 

Stiles gives little protest when Steve walks him towards the couch. He lets himself be pulled down onto it. He knows they're right. They've spent most of the day moving in. His aching muscles are proof of that. A break won't kill him. 

He only has one complaint.

“We really should have unpacked the TV first.”

There’s a series of groans from the others, but no one makes any move to get up. Steve slips an arm around Stiles’ shoulders and Stiles settles against him. His eyes start to close as the exhaustion of the day catches up with him.

“Maybe we can just nap,” he yawns.

He feels as much as hears Steve’s quiet laughter. “A nap sounds nice.”

He wakes up later to the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen, and rain pattering lightly against the windows. Steve is still next to him, his head resting back against the couch. His breathing is slow and even. 

In the three months they’ve been together Stiles has learned a lot about Steve Harrington. From the kind of hairspray he uses to the way he likes his eggs and how his eyes crinkle when he laughs. How he doesn’t know a whole lot about movies but still loves his job working at the video store. How he loves working with kids and had a dream about coaching basketball. Something that Stiles doesn’t think he can let him forget about. Not after seeing the way he is with the kids, and how great of a basketball player he is.

He never thought he was really built for living in a small town, but that’s been changing. Maybe he just wasn’t in the right one. As much as he loves his family in Beacon Hills, maybe this is where he was always meant to be. A small town in Indiana with his best friend and the man he loves, ready to start their lives together. Ready to just take a shot at a normal, domestic life. It sounds pretty good to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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